The Humanist Institute is offering on-site training for individuals who are already celebrants or desiring to become Humanist Celebrants. Register Online Today! When: Saturday, September 23, 2017 Where: American Humanist Association DC Office 1821 Jefferson Place, NW Washington, DC 20036 Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Cost: $75 per person Learn how to prepare unique & inspiring humanist wedding ceremonies Find out how to care for individuals nearing the end of life & support their families during this time Discover what makes a humanist memorial service so different Gain understanding of how humanists celebrate life events & milestones Get in the queue to give local meeting invocations and know what is appropriate vs inappropriate to say Register Online Today! For questions, please contact The Humanist Institute Executive Director, Kristin Wintermute at manager@humanistinstitute.org. Note: The Humanist Institute trains celebrants and The Humanist Society endorses celebrants, enabling them to perform ceremonies. This training will inform you how to get endorsed but THI does not endorse celebrants. Schedule: 10:00 to 10:30 am: Welcome & Introductions 10:30 to 12:00 pm: Weddings 12:00 to 1:00 pm: Lunch (Provided) & Discussion 1:00 to 2:30 pm: End of Life Preparation & Memorials 2:30 to 3:00 pm: Invocations 3:00 to 3:30 pm: Baby Welcomings 3:30 to 4:00 pm: Coming of Age Celebrations *Participants will receive supporting materials to begin (or add to) their personal library of resources i.e. sample ceremonies, suggested readings, creative ideas. Endorsed celebrants will be added to a local database. Trainer: Kathy Diedrich holds credentials as a Humanist Celebrant and a Certified Life Cycle Celebrant. She earned certificates from the Celebrant Foundation and Institute in Foundations of Celebrancy, Weddings, Funerals, and Ceremonies for Children and Families. Since 2010, she...

When: Wednesday, March 22 at 8pm EDT Teleconference Call-in Number: 712-770-4010 Access Code: 596-752 The Humanist Society is building a Celebrant Professional Community. The goal of this community is to support current humanist celebrants through mentoring, collaboration, professional, and business development. We are starting this effort with Quarterly Teleconferences. Therefore, be a part of the Inaugural teleconference on Wednesday, March 22 at 8pm...

The Humanist Institute is offering on-site training for individuals who are already celebrants or desiring to become Humanist Celebrants. Register Online Today! When: Saturday, March 11, 2017 Rutgers University Where: Rutgers University Inn and Conference Center 178 Ryders Lane New Brunswick, NJ 08901 United States Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Cost: $75 Register Online Today! Learn how to prepare unique and inspiring humanist wedding ceremonies Find out how to care for individuals nearing the end of life and support their families during this time Discover what makes a humanist memorial service so different Gain an understanding of how humanists celebrate life events and milestones Learn how to get in the queue for giving local meeting invocations, and some examples of appropriate versus inappropriate things to say when invited to do so Acquire knowledge on what the Humanist Society has to offer Schedule: 10:00 to 10:30 am: Welcome & Introductions 10:30 to 12:00 pm: Weddings 12:00 to 1:00 pm: Lunch (Provided) & Discussion 1:00 to 2:30 pm: End of Life Preparation & Memorials 2:30 to 3:00 pm: Invocations 3:00 to 3:30 pm: Baby Welcomings 3:30 to 4:00 pm: Coming of Age Celebrations *All participants will be provided with supporting materials to begin (or add to) their personal library of resources i.e. sample ceremonies, suggested readings, creative ideas. Endorsed celebrants will be added to a local database. Lodging: Option #1 Rutgers University Inn and Conference Center Option #2 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tower Center New Brunswick Note: There are several other nearby hotel options, these are just two close options. Questions: If you have questions about any of the event details, please visit: http://humanistinstitute.org/about-us/contact-us/ Trainers: Trainers represent the broad spectrum of humanist identities such as Secular Humanist, Ethical...

For Immediate Release Contact: Merrill Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 105, merrillmiller@americanhumanist.org (Washington, DC, Nov. 21, 2016)—In solidarity with the social justice community, 74 humanist celebrants endorsed by the Humanist Society, an adjunct of the American Humanist Association, will offer free weddings to LGBTQ individuals, immigrants and other marginalized communities that fear they will be negatively affected by a Trump presidency. This initiative will aid individuals afflicted by racism, homophobia and religious discrimination by offering them the comfort and security found through becoming legally connected to the one they love without worrying about financial hindrances. It will also allow people to focus on marriage as a celebration of the humanist values of love and kindness in a time when the country is feeling torn apart by hatred. Humanist celebrants across the nation are taking part in the initiative, which will continue until Inauguration Day on Friday, January 20, 2017. “We are proud of our humanist celebrants for standing up as allies for the marginalized communities that will be most negatively impacted by the uncertain political climate and the prejudices of the religious right, homophobia and white supremacy,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “In officiating weddings, a time of love and joy, we are demonstrating the strength of love and compassion, values that resonate not only with humanists but with all people.” Humanist Celebrants conduct Humanist, secular, nonreligious, non-theistic and interreligious weddings, memorials, baby naming, and other life-cycle ceremonies. Click on this map to see a listing of celebrants by state. Note: Humanist Celebrants participating in the Free Weddings to Marginalized Communities Affected by Presidential Election program...

This post, written by Jason Callahan, originally appeared on TheHumanist.com. September 2, 2008. That’s the day I first arrived in Richmond, Virginia, from New York City to embark on a journey that didn’t have a specific destination. The financial crisis was underway and the immediacy of my need to figure something out led me to one of the only people who’d ever supported me up until that point: my former pastor. How ironic that a clear atheist would call upon someone who works for the church for advice. This was a relationship between two human beings interested in having and promoting wholeness. I attended seminary on what was called a “trial year” enrollment that was for learners the church wasn’t sure it could own. After my first year, I just wanted to leave. I was disgusted after observing how the beliefs and the norms of the community actually contributed to an increase in mental health issues around campus. I couldn’t go back to New York because things had already gotten worse economically, so I decided to stick it out. The lack of community engagement and compassion for those in need who visited the campus forced me to reach outside of that community in order to put my skills to use. I stumbled upon chaplaincy after graduation. My pastor had always stated that she got into ministry in order to be a chaplain, because people in hospitals have real needs that transcend any theology. She admitted that going to seminary and working in the church was nothing more than getting her “union card” from the only place that had the...